PTP transparent clock system upgrade solution

Abstract

A transparent clock converter is interposed between a non-precision time protocol (non-PTP) enabled network node and other portions of the network. The transparent clock converter effectively converts the non-PTP node into a transparent clock node. In some embodiments the transparent clock converter includes physical layer devices, but not media access controllers.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of providing transparent clock functionality for a optical network node, comprising:
 receiving a packet in optical form by a transparent clock converter; 
 converting the packet into an electrical form; 
 setting a reserved field of the packet to an ingress time of the packet into the transparent clock converter; 
 converting the packet with the set reserved field into an optical form by the transparent clock converter; 
 receiving the packet with the set reserved field in optical form by a network switch; 
 performing network routing by the network switch; 
 transmitting the packet with the set reserved field in optical form by the network switch; 
 receiving, from the network switch, the packet with the set reserved field in optical form by the transparent clock converter; 
 converting the packet with the set reserved field into an electrical form by the transparent clock converter; and 
 setting a correction field of the packet to a value equal to a prior value of the correction field plus an expected egress time of the packet from the transparent clock converter and minus the ingress time of the packet into the transparent clock converter. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 after setting of the correction field, converting the packet into an optical form by the transparent clock converter and transmitting of the packet in optical form by the transparent clock converter. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising resetting the reserved field of the packet. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising setting a flag in a further reserved field of the packet to indicate that setting of the reserved field to an ingress time has been performed. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , further comprising resetting the further reserved field of the packet. 
     
     
       6. A method performed by a network device, the network device having a line side and a switch side, the line side coupled to remote network nodes by way of line-side optical connections, the switch side coupled to a switch local to the network device by way of switch-side optical connections, the method comprising:
 receiving a precision time protocol packet over a first of the line-side optical connections; 
 setting a reserved field of the packet to a value indicating an ingress time of the packet into the network device; 
 transmitting the packet over a first of the switch-side optical connections; 
 receiving the packet over a second of the switch-side optical connections; 
 adjusting a correction field of the packet to reflect a difference between an expected time of transmission of the packet over a second of the line-side connections and the value of the reserved field; and 
 transmitting the packet over the second of the line-side optical connections. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising setting a further reserved field of the packet to indicate setting of the value in the reserved field prior to transmitting the packet over the first of the line-side optical connections. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising resetting the reserved field of the packet after receiving the packet over the second of the switch-side optical connections.